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The new Labour government has prioritised increasing housebuilding to get 1.5m new homes built this Parliament. Proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) were announced at the end of July.
These include new annual housing targets for councils.
A statement from East Riding's local authority suggests great unease and likely opposition to some elements.
The proposals are out for consultation until September 24, but the Labour government is determined to shake up the planning system. This includes the creation of designated ‘grey belt’, lower value green belt land where housing would be permitted, subject to 50 per cent being affordable homes. Councils would be required to identify such land.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner wrote to all England council leaders and chief executives about the changes. She cast it as “a major first step for all of us as we seek to put the housing crisis behind us”.
Indicative housing requirements each year if the changes in the planning system go ahead were published by the government. These vary by local authority, but a general pattern of greater expectations on rural areas is clear.
East Riding: Current yearly target – 817; Proposed indicative target – 2,088; Average annual net additions, 2021/22-2022/23 – 1,965.
An East Riding Council spokesperson said:
“East Riding would see a significant increase in housing numbers should the revised methodology be implemented. East Riding of Yorkshire Council is a long way through the process of updating its Local Plan, and is now preparing for a modifications consultation in a few weeks’ time. This will ensure that there is an up-to-date Local Plan is place before starting a new Local Plan taking account of the updated NPPF.
“East Riding Council has always planned positively for growth but is cognisant of the constraints that exist in the East Riding such as flood risk and coastal erosion plus the demands placed on infrastructure that additional growth brings. As an authority, we will be responding to the consultation and discussing with others including our neighbours, Hull City Council to share our views.”
The full position of the councils is likely to emerge in coming weeks, followed by whether there is any change to the methodology for the new homes expected of each local authority area.
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